OUR DEDICATED TEAM’S
IT’S our birthday! That’s OK. You weren’t to know. Just get us something next year. Socks are always good.
We’re 140 but still sprightly and spry. There’s still life in the old bones. In fact, we reckon we’ve aged quite well and are looking better than ever.
As a youngster, let’s be honest, we looked pretty drab.
The front page of our first issue, in October 1881, was full of tiny writing, no pictures, with headlines like Sad Tale of Poverty and The French In Tunis.
There’s even a little section called More Shipping Disasters.
We’ve changed since then, of course. But we’ve always tried to do the right thing by keeping you informed, entertained and occasionally amused.
We’ve been with you and you’ve been with us through all the big events of the 20th century, with dispatches from the Somme, Cape Canaveral, Wembley, Buckingham Palace,
Berlin and all over the world.
Underdog
We’ve covered the big politics, the big scandals and the real stories about real people. We’ve been with you through happy times, like the 1966 Wembley Final when we were “Top of the World”.
Or heartbreak, like the death of Diana – “She Was Our Queen”.
Newspapers reflect their readers and we’re just like you. We love our news, our showbiz, our royal stories. We’re mad about sport, we’re into our politics and we have a soft spot for a scandal.
And like you, we fight for the underdog. One of the things we’re most proud of is our campaigning.
And we couldn’t do it without you. It was you who volunteered to give Abi Longfellow the kidney she so desperately needed in 2018, helped her battle the Government to change the rules on access to the drug that saved her.
And this year you dug deep for brave cancer sufferer Nathaniel Nabena. You were the difference between life and death for the smiling nine-year-old.
So much has changed in 140 years. But we were a paper for everyone then and we still are.
A paper we’re all proud to work for and one we all hope you’re proud to read.
feedback@people.co.uk Voice of the People: P14